1. Field
The present invention relates to an air filter, an elevator having the same and an air conditioning control method thereof, and, more particularly, to an air filter capable of purifying the air inside the elevator to be safe and pleasant using a micro plasma ion generator (MPI), an elevator having the same and an air conditioning control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an elevator which moves in a vertical direction of a building is installed in a multistory building in which it is difficult to go up and down the stairs or a building having a large floating population such as an apartment, a hospital and a department store to meet the convenience of passengers (users) of the building.
A door is installed in the elevator and the passengers get into the elevator through the door. Since the elevator moves up and down while the door is closed, an inner space of the elevator which is used by many passengers including a patient or bacteria carrier and transports a cargo is inevitably contaminated with various fine dust particles, smoke, noxious gas, mold, noxious bacteria and the like. From the characteristics of the elevator, since the circulation or discharge of the noxious gas is not efficiently performed due to a sealed space, the air inside the elevator is not pleasant. Accordingly, when the passengers get into the elevator having a contaminated inner space, the contaminated air in the elevator, the noxious bacteria and the like may enter into a body through respiratory organs or may be stuck to clothes or a body. Particularly, old people, weak people or children may be frequently exposed to various diseases (for example, a respiratory disease, a headache or the like).
To solve the above problems, Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 1996-0007420 discloses an air filter of an elevator capable of purifying the air inside the elevator into pleasant and fresh air by providing an air purifying function to the elevator.
In the air filter of the elevator disclosed in the Publication, an air discharge hole which communicates with the outside is formed at a specified position of an inner wall lower portion of a cage. A duct is connected to the outside of the air discharge hole to be formed toward an upper portion of the cage along an outer wall of the cage. A plurality of filters and a fan motor are installed at the upper end of the cage connected to the duct. When the fan motor is operated, the air inside the cage is sucked to pass through the air discharge hole, the duct and the filters. The air circulates through an air blowing hole communicating with the inside of the cage. In this circulation process, contaminants contained in the air are filtered in the filters. Thus, the air inside the elevator is forced to pass through the filters to be purified into pleasant and fresh air.
However, in the conventional air filter of the elevator, when a passenger determines that the air inside the cage is contaminated due to an unpleasant smell or the like, the passenger presses an operation switch installed on a control panel in the cage to operate the fan motor. Accordingly, there is a problem such that the air inside the elevator cannot be always maintained at a pleasant state. That is, since the passenger should determine a contamination level of the air inside the elevator after the passenger gets into the elevator, air purification is performed after the passenger has felt an unpleasant feeling. Further, when the air inside the elevator is severely contaminated (for example, when someone had a smoke or when a contaminant with a serious bad smell has been left), the time that it takes to purify the air in the elevator cage is lengthened. Thus, the passengers may suffer a considerable unpleasant feeling or discomfort.
Further, in the conventional air filter of the elevator, the contaminants contained in the air are filtered in the filters. However, since the fine dust particles which have not been filtered in the filters are directly transmitted to the passengers, there still exists a danger of a respiratory disease due to the fine dust particles.